Think

1. Think with a purpose of knowing
Playing with ideas when you are not going to commit to will fill you with hot air and make you stupid

2. Think both ways
Argue with yourself and try winning against yourself - you feel better being merciless to yourself rather than having someone else doing it

3. Think with a possibility of failure
Anything can fail - trusting motivational speakers that tell you that you will surely succeed goes against simple logic

4. Think with desire
Point 1 was more of a desire issue rather than a discipline issue.

5. Think about a person
You are not who you think you are, but who you think - you are

6. Think until it hurts
Not very convincing, but you are really more stupid than who you ought to be. If you don't like the demotivating tone: You can always do better. No pain, no gain. Some of us think no pain = great gain. Not true. But yes, not all pain is gain.

7. Think reflectively
Don't just think about ideas "out there", but how whatever that is "out there" would imply consequences to you

There are wonderful things about thinking:

7. You think who you are - I should really make this clear. A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit. You know a tree by it's fruit. A good tree doesn't bear bad fruit, neither does a bad tree bear good fruit. As you examine the thoughts that goes through your head, they tell a lot about who you are. When you continually think hateful thoughts, and find yourself suppressing those thoughts. You know you are pretty rotten inside and you are really trying to fix things. Or perhaps, not trying to fix things - but still coming up with a pretty smile.

6. Scientifically, the more you think - the better you get at it. Part of it is a matter of skill, a big part of it is something about your brain forming connections which then allows you to think even faster.

5. One of the reason we promote self-centered-ness, self-love, and self-whatever, is because we always think about ourselves, and really, there ain't much good stuff in us, and we get pretty good at being ourselves. Sometimes that is good, sometimes - not so good.

4. It would be very boring to have no desire. Desire fuels thoughts, and thought kindles desires. Don't you remember lying on your bed and dreaming about your crush? In your mind, he/she just gets better and more beautiful, and the harshest word they say somehow become saintly. And before you knew it, you became more in love, and you think about him/her more - and the cycle repeats.

3. Pride hinders thinking. When you don't allow the possibility of failure - you don't quite get past certain thoughts, which might be easily solved if you just took another approach. When thinking, taking oneself too seriously (which in scientific language, refusing to admit that you just started off with the wrong inference) can be one of the most idiotic thing to do.

2. You get pretty prepared for arguments. Prolonged arguments in the mind can make you pretty sharp, such that you can smell a lie a mile away. (ah! that rhymes!) It is losing arguments in practice. Better to win yourself than let somebody win you - chances are you will hate admitting the other person is really smarter and got it all right.

1. Thinking this way develops some measure of integrity. (I admit, integrity is "heart" issue, but bad thinking fuels twisted logic). Twisted logic will undo and mislead you at every point of thought, as you would be so heavily biased in a not-so-good way.

The numbers match. They are supposed to relate.

Happy thinking.


(I won't condemn it, but I don't support thinking for fun. Thinking for fun promotes making fun the highest objective for thinking. I support thinking for joy, because joy springs from truth and love - and a person will have to think truthfully and loving to get happy. Its hard to think of a lie - an unloving lie, get convinced and really be happy)

Because I Really Love You

I can't remember how many posts I have written about thinking of death. I can't remember how many friendships I have that I have intentionally steer conversations toward Jesus. I can't remember how many blog posts I have typed to introduce Jesus.

Why am I doing these?
Doesn't it look like I am using friendships for certain purposes other than friendship?

I love my friends.

Some I have not seen in a long while, some I see regularly.
Some I have wronged and we never reconciled, some have not known me long enough for me to wrong them.

There are friendships that I would wish very much would last into eternity, there is so much to discover about one another. I am very fascinated about how we get motivated, how we love, why we hate, why we devote our time to certain things, what happened the last time you didn't want to talk with me, what made in all nice again, how we grew up to be ourselves today.

Yet, death limits me. I don't have all the time in the world. There are people that I want to treat well in special ways, yet one appointment after another drives me around, the demands of work, the limitation of finance, the fact that we all have to spend hours to sleep everyday just prevents me from doing this.

In the end, not everybody gets the attention that they deserve; while people are treated as friends, they can only take up such a small part in our lives.

Somewhere along the line, I am thinking: If I want to meet all of these people, I will need eternity on my side - which is one of the few reasons I want to tell them about Jesus.

Shame has caused me to reveal only parts of myself, and embarrassment has prevented me from knowing my friend in a deeper way. Insecurity stains humanity - for legitimate reasons. I long for the day when we can understand each other fully and clearly, and to appreciate all the good things there are.

But on this side of heaven, these things cannot be so. Should there be no life eternal where wickedness and sorrow would pass away - earth is the closest anybody can get to paradise. In one lifetime, one marked by sin and shame, I ache at the fact that there will be people I will never get to know heart to heart. Some have taken on themselves the quest to create Utopia on earth, where there would be peace - I cannot wait till that day. It doesn't look like there are enough people doing that, and it doesn't look like things are moving in that direction either.

This is one of the few reasons why people need to hear about Jesus.

Even some of my friends who has considered me an enemy - I would desire reconciliation, I would desire forgiveness, I desire the friendship - but this cannot be. The brevity of life has driven us deep into instant gratification.

"I want pleasure for myself now!" for we do not know how long we will live, and the future looks bleak. The best things we can get for ourselves comforts us only for a moment, we have learnt not to have unrealistic expectations. We all learn to expect "death" to have the final say over all relationships. Of course, "death" is more real than life. Nobody is guaranteed to live, but all are destined to die once.

This is why I can't help but point my friends and foe alike to Jesus. We have been born into a mess, and we can't seem to stop contributing to all the hurt and pain - and our efforts to repair anything is futile.

I have become convinced that Jesus Christ dying on the Cross and resurrected as the Lord of All as truth. I have become convinced that God is love, mankind has sinned against God, God will judge all mankind - some to eternal condemnation, some to eternal life, Jesus Christ has died on our behalf to pay the penalty of our sin against God - Therefore my trust is in God, and my hope is in Heaven.

There are things I desire, that no man can give. Can one man define another man's worth? Is there anything in the world that can be equaled to the value of another person? By the greatness of another I am honored to be acquainted with them. But who is that great? We are pretty much the same deep down inside.

If there is one relationship I must restore, it is the relationship with my Maker. I know my Maker will fix all things according to His promise. He will make all things new. He will restore the relationships of His people to Himself - and them to one another.

I don't want to sound religious, but unless we all get ourselves fixed by Jesus, we will remain in conflict with everything, until death ends it all for good.

I look forward to the day in heaven where I will be perfected, when my life will not be marked by shame and secrets and wickedness - and I shall relate to God and to man freely. Where my joy will be simple like a baby's laughter - where all things are made new.

I desire that all my friends (and many others whom I have not yet met) come to know the truth: God is love, we have sinned, Christ has saved, so we trust. Or else, what else have we to look forward to?

Some among us think we are good enough for heaven. How can that be true - when out of 6 billion people in the world, we become convinced that we are the most important person among them?

Some of us think that God will not judge. How can that be true - that the Creator of the Beautiful Universe and the Lover of our souls would pervert justice and let the guilty go un-condemned?

Some of us think that Jesus is just a great man - How can that be true - that when God loves us so greatly that He gave us Himself as a ransom for our sins, is reduced to a morally upright teacher?

Some of us prefer to live our lives miserably until we die in hope that tomorrow will somehow be better. How can that be true - have we not been acquainted the brevity of the joys and the sadness on earth, that is so fleeting.

If i have to die, if I have to go broke, if I have to endure shame - what is that compared to an assurance of love, righteousness, peace, and joy in the presence of God our Maker and the company of all who love Him and one another?

The message of Christianity is simple. The link below is a 10 minute presentation of what the heart of Christianity is about.

V-day

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for dying on the Cross. Just as you reign over all universe, reign in our lives too. Happy Valentines.

Your Church

Hypocrisy

The same person who says,

"There is so much wrong in the government"
"He is right, she is wrong"
"Something should be done about this"
"The government is stupid"
"These people are so corrupt"

is the person who tells their children

"If you find a good opportunity, go somewhere else"

who would, provided the compensation was good enough - would not mind bribery and corruption.

This is mankind. Doesn't anybody see that we are sinfully and totally depraved?
(The finger pointing business proves my point)

Jehovah's Witness, Moron-ism, and Tom Cruise

Finally, some disillusioned slaves knock on my door this morning! The last time they were Westerners (although not quite handsome), this time they are Japanese!

About 5 years ago, 2 Mormons pressed the bell and wanted to share Jesus with me. I got them in, and got my first copy of a Mormon Bible.

Just in case some of us do not know what Mormons (and Jehovah Witnesses) are, mainstream Christianity consider them cults. They use a different Bible than us, they believe different things, whatever team they are in, they are not in the "Christian" team. But of course, they would deny that - and the idiocy fuels the argument. It is true, I think Einstein or Edison said this :

"There are limits for a genius, but stupidity knows no bounds!"

You will get what I mean when you actually read their books. I should have kept it and read the Mormon Bible and find out what other jokes they believe in. I mean, come on!

What kind of religion has an angel called "MORONI"?

and here is another one, "Jesus was Satan's brother"

or this is real classical one, " Jesus went to America after He resurrected in the Middle East! there He told us the TRUTH!"

I am like - What? Is this serious? People actually believe that?

I mean, I thought America was already privileged with UFOs and superheros, it seems that meteors always ONLY strike America and America gets to save the world... but now even Jesus goes there.

What about Malaysia? What do we have? Orang Minyak and Toyol and ISA?

The founder of Mormonism - Joseph Smith is considered a martyr because he died in a gun fight. I thought Atheism was already absurd, but these people has taken it to new heights.

And Jehovah's Witnesses - you wonder if they went to school. They get the Bible, start editing parts they don't like - recreate a new Bible, and then use it to argue with you. Then when you come to a point in which they feel disadvantaged, they say:

"IT IS A METAPHOR!"

Then when they get to a point they have an advantage,

"THIS IS TRUTH!"

But if I just told them to read the whole sentence where they take their word from, they go

"The first part I said about was REALITY, the other (same word you chose at the second half of the sentence) was a METAPHOR"

Althought I dont have Scientologists knocking my doors, but who would have ever imagined that humans are biological blobs possessed with spirit prisoners from the planet of Xenu about 75 million years ago? i'm not even making this up! Go google it up.

Without Sci-fi writers who start religions and celebrities like Tom Cruise to believe them, life would be so meaningless!

It all just brings to mind how God mocks idol worshipers in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 44:12-18

12 The blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.

13 The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in the form of man,
of man in all his glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.

14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.

15 It is man's fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.

16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
"Ah! I am warm; I see the fire."

17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
"Save me; you are my god."

18 They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.

It takes a genius to figure out which half was firewood and which half was God

=__=

Polycarp

Some bloggers admit that the things they usually type aren't always the most interesting things in the world. As for others, they have yet to repent of their lying.

Bloggers just do what they do - commenting about every crap under the sun: about God, about politics, about how to run the world in a better way - walking the talk by spending most of their time saving the World (of Warcraft).

Not to leave out the other group: How we spend our time taking picture of food, food+myself, shirt, shirt+myself, myself, myself (in acting cute mode) and FINALLY ...the supposedly candid shot of myself.

But I really think what I type makes a difference. I went to university and played enough Diablo and Dotato know what it takes to form a strategy and save the world.

God save the bloggers.

Polycarp (not Poly-Crap: all you world-changing bloggers) was a Christian martyr who lived about 69 A.D. to 155 A.D. This means that he was killed because he believes in Jesus Christ. He also lived just a few decades after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Below is an account of the process of his martyrdom (full article is found here), after being betrayed by a servant:

Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, Swear, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ; Polycarp declared,

Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?

And when the proconsul yet again pressed him, and said, Swear by the fortune of Caesar, he answered,

Since you are vainly urgent that, as you say, I should swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretend not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn what the doctrines of Christianity are, appoint me a day, and you shall hear them.

The proconsul replied, Persuade the people. But Polycarp said,

To you I have thought it right to offer an account [of my faith]; for we are taught to give all due honor (which entails no injury upon ourselves) to the powers and authorities which are ordained of God. But as for these, I do not deem them worthy of receiving any account from me.

The proconsul then said to him, I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast you, unless you repent.

But he answered, Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous.

But again the proconsul said to him, I will cause you to be consumed by fire, seeing you despise the wild beasts, if you will not repent.

But Polycarp said, You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why do you tarry? Bring forth what you will.

A Responsible Use of Influence

Everybody has influence -

how much influence?
influence over who?
what kind of influence?

A dog has influence. Stray dogs have influence - the very sight limping stray dogs break people's hearts. Nice puppies bring joy to people around. I once wrote a poem about a cat who lost a paw, it got me thinking about it for quite some weeks, and made me reflect on my life.

From babies and beggars to celebrities and superstars. Angelina Jolie has influence over thousands and thousands in small little ways, yet her few kids that we probably don't know their names - they influence all her life.

Marketing companies use celebrities endorsements to sell a product. Celebrities earn their cash that way. Of course, there are those who use their name for better causes like charity and the sorts; but of course, most of it is used to promote materialism which the public desires so much.

Supply and demand they say, nobody is at fault. Since the whole world is innocent, maybe God is to be blamed. Or is it true that nobody is at fault?

Yes of course, it is him/her/them.

In the last day of the great Judgment before Jesus, nobody is guiltless. Not only will men be guilty for the things they committed as an individual, they are to be responsible for what they have been teaching people around them. The greedy man is not only guilty of restraining his hand to those in need, he is guilty of training his son to be a greedy young man. The man who saw a good deed and did not do it, is not only guilty for the good he did not do, but also the discouragement he gave to the onlookers who bought into his selfishness.

While this description is true for all of us, I am thinking particularly of Christians at this moment.

God has given us forgiveness of sins, reconciliation of relationship, and assurance of salvation. I wonder with such great gifts from God, and a mission given by God to evangelize - I do not wonder that most of us are not stewarding our influence well.

Much effort and much money is put into decorating ourselves, so that we may look good, and that people may praise us. Instead of speaking of the sacrifice, the judgment and the goodness of Jesus which leads to the glory of God, we happily pour our lives for the effort of directing praise to ourselves. We are given the opportunity of one person, the strength of one person at the very least - and God knows how He can demonstrate His Greatness in our weakness; but it is not becoming for citizens of heaven to indulge ourselves in earthly things.

Most of us are being very careless stewards. If any of us remember Jesus' parables.

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

I suppose, influence is just one of many gifts that different people can have. I can't help but think of some of my more physically appealing (beautiful looking) female friends, with their God-given beauty, they use it to direct all praise to themselves.

But of course, this whole finger pointing business has taught me many bitter lessons. At the end of the day, I really have to ask myself this, "Is my action consistent with who I declare myself to be?"

Jesus says, "A good tree bears good fruits, and a bad tree bears bad fruits. You know a tree by their fruits"

With all respect and reverence to God, I think that statement sounds childishly obvious. While many of us think of ourselves as "Good people who happen to do bad things", Jesus is saying that mankind is "Bad people doing what they really are". To ignorant and sinful mankind, that statement is hardly obvious. It takes God to tell us common sense.

God has given us life, time, money, influence, and resources of all sorts - I hope I don't squander it away. Careless stewardship might be fun for now, but it won't be funny when we meet God face to face. We will all give an account to God, not only for our personal lives that involves ourselves, but also those whom we have led to Christ, or led astray.


2 of the many things that might rise in our heads:

a) I am not responsible/ I do not need to give an account/ I am good enough/ I am not that bad/ whatever like the words above

b) God save me

Just so we know, a) isn't quite a valid answer. Or maybe, it is again the kind of common sense that isn't quite common.

Babies

Short Notes:

Since last week, there have been many times I have wanted to type out long difficult posts, which are full of discoveries, but I really am too lazy to do that.

For the past month, I had the privilege to see a Robin & Joy's family. They have 3 kids: Ilona, Alethea(Ally-read it like a Malaysian, like Eli), and Latimer(Latty-read it like a Malaysian, like Leti). I don't remember how old they are: Ilona is in kindergarten, Ally is probably 1 or 2 years younger, and Latimer still puts his hand in his mouth.

Not only did I get to see them and play with them a little bit, I got to make sure things like:

1) When Ilona plays with the swing, she doesn't knock Ally over (which always stands behind the swing)

2) Both Ilona and Ally don't fall off the swing when they like to both sit on the swing at the same time

3) Latty doesn't stick his finger into power points after he turned every single one ON

4) Latty doesn't pull the cable which will bring the whole lamp stand down

That is most of the dangerous stuff, besides making sure that Latty don't bang into anything as they run excitedly around. One more! I try really hard to listen to what they are saying: Latty seem to always be trying VERY hard to communicate ideas across in some weird language that only Ally understands.

Latty : Bwaguwan..Ra...La...

Ally   : I think Latty says he wants to go out and play...

Latty drools all the time. When he sits down with me, he gets fascinated by the leg hair, and starts pulling them. After 2 minutes, he starts crying for either daddy or mummy, or something like "i want to go out and play", or whatever...

It really isn't easy taking care of 3 kids. Before you actually think and say

 "Of course, Joel, you born yesterday ah?"

I'm telling you the more I think of it, and experience it, the more I think Joy is from Mars. Any mother of 3 kids or more is from Mars. Don't you ever sit down and think how you actually toilet train a baby?

I know how you train dogs to poop at a certain place. But babies? Don't they just poop whenever they like - and then you have to clean up?

As I see the kids, I am also learning to celebrate things the way they celebrate. Let me illustrate it:

Joel : 

Hi Ally!

Ally : 

(looks at me for a while and thinks) 

Today I went to school with jie jie...

Joel : 

(thinks for a moment... That should be an achievement I think....) 

Wow, how did you find it?

Ally : I didn't cry...

Joel :

(This gotta be something like "I GOT HIGH DISTINCTION")

WOW! THATS GREAT !!!

This whole kid's business is a whole different world to me. I already have issues with talking with people, here I am trying to guess what they are saying, and then trying to relate to them.

Ilona is the eldest around, so it is easier to communicate with her. She always shows me the new things that she is doing in the kindergarten: the new Princess' crown, the Chinese New year Card ( which writes I dad Love you ) among other things.

While I can just take all these things as plain fun, but it has really got me thinking:

How many kids do I want?

Forget about the college and uni fees in the future - in the name of being merciful to myself and my wife. After the once-off of few hours of pain in delivery, there are many years of raising them up.

After long and hard thoughts, I have decided that 2 kids are enough. Why not 1? Why not 3 or more? To me, 3 or more kids is a lot of work for me and my wife. The Bible say it is good to have many sons (and daughters), like a quiver full of arrows... but it doesn't say how many: A small quiver is good, i.e. 2.

I tried handling 3 kids at once. I can't. They were running everywhere also looked like they were going to bang everything down (although they always somehow break in time, I cannot take the stress, Joy can, she's a martian like my mom).

If I have only 1 kid, what if he/she dies in an accident one day? then I will grow old with my wife without any kids!

Therefore, 2 is good. If one of them dies, there is still 1 more to comfort us. If I want more, I would be adopting I guess. It is really something to discuss with my wife. After all, as much as I will be responsible to feed them, she has to give birth to them, and she will be caring for them more of the time than I do.

So as of now, this is the blueprint. I will be changing this idea when something more brilliant pops up, or I'm compelled to subscribe to more plausible arguments.